Book. “This Thursday is going to be hell.” Sébastien, a consultant in the digital sector, starts his day working remotely. No less than twelve meetings are on the agenda, some of them at the same time. From 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., it’s a real marathon in front of the camera.
Must endure the “Infantilizing management” from a superior (“What’s your weather like today?” »), solves connection problems in real time, keeps the sound as good as possible “self-control”sharing your experience with a client while reading instructions from your superior in a chat, dealing with the sudden desertion of a colleague… and finding a few moments to have lunch.
Everything is happening at a fast pace. Sometimes, Sébastien seems to be apnea in his room. He ends the day “nervous to the limit”, “regrets”[ant] “almost the jolt of the RER to clear the head”. This consultant’s account of the day is part of a series of sketches directly inspired by real events, proposed by Alexandre des Isnards in his latest work, the video killed me (Allary Editions).
After Open space killed me (The Book of Poche, 2009) and Facebook killed me (NiL, 2011), the author takes the reader into the post-Covid-19 working world, where teleworking has progressed exponentially and where videoconferencing has established itself as the default meeting mode. Is working from home the panacea? Mr. des Isnards tempers the enthusiasm of his promoters. If his protagonists are satisfied with the increase in their sleep time, they see their professional and personal lives at home intertwined.
The many flaws of working via videoconference
The spouses become “coworkers”whose way of being at work we sometimes discover with some disappointment. The pressure is still there, but more insidious. “Working outside the office arouses suspicion”The author summarizes. You have to prepare your investment and reach an agreement with the “green pill”this “executive time clock” which, in collaborative applications, demonstrate their presence.
Des Isnards highlights the many shortcomings of videoconferencing, a disembodied version of meetings. “Brainstorming is no longer a storm of thoughts like in person. Ideas no longer flow (…). The debates are civilized. » The ability to persuade sometimes fades. The absence of in-person debriefing after the meeting also seems detrimental.
The pages reveal that the teams’ discomfort is also shared by several companies. They are struggling to find a relevant organisation, adapted to the digital world and remote work. How can we maintain cohesion between employees who only communicate through screens, when some seats are empty? Like in the company of this young work-study student who, upon arriving at work, desperately seeks a member of his team to support him.
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